How to write a book with AI [step-by-step guide]

Summary

In this insightful discussion, Justin Welsh and Greg Eisenberg delve into the future of content creation and personal branding. They explore the concept of standing out in a commoditized world by becoming a person people want to support, not just a product. The conversation covers leveraging AI for book publishing, the importance of solving personal problems to innovate, and the evolution of creator tools. They also touch on the potential for AI to devalue content, emphasizing the need for unique perspectives and the role of community in supporting creators' journeys.

Takeaways

• 🚀 The importance of standing out in a commoditized market by becoming a person that people want to support, not just a product they want to purchase.
• 📦 The trend of featuring people more prominently on product packaging, suggesting a future where the creators might take up more space than the product itself.
• 🤖 The potential of AI to streamline the process of becoming a published author, making it easier and more accessible for creators with large followings.
• 📚 Discussion of platforms like Write Book and Once.com that allow for quick self-publishing without the need for traditional publishing houses.
• 💡 The idea of creating an AI-powered book empire by leveraging AI tools for brainstorming, outlining, and drafting book content.
• 🛠️ The use of various AI and non-AI tools throughout the book creation process, such as Cloe, Jungle Scout, and Hemingway, to enhance efficiency and quality.
• 🔄 The concern about AI devaluing content by making it too easy to produce, potentially overshadowing unique perspectives and artistic value.
• 🎨 The evolution of what it means to be a creator or artist in the digital age, and the potential for AI to change the way we perceive and value creativity.
• 🔑 The concept of becoming a 'world-class prompter' to leverage AI effectively in creating unique and valuable content or art.
• 🌐 The need for a consolidated solution that integrates various point solutions for creators, to streamline tasks from content creation to distribution.
• 💡 The notion that creators should build or use tools that solve their own problems, potentially creating a product that resonates with a wider audience facing similar issues.

Q & A

What is the main topic of discussion in the provided transcript?

The main topic of discussion is the concept of standing out in a commoditized world and the exploration of using AI to streamline the process of becoming a published author.

What is the 'Write Book' tool mentioned in the transcript?

The 'Write Book' tool is a product that allows individuals to instantly publish their own books on the web for free without the need for a traditional publisher.

What is the Jungle Scout app and how is it being used in the context of the discussion?

The Jungle Scout app is a tool typically used for e-commerce to analyze competitor insights and keyword analysis. In the context of the discussion, it is being considered for analyzing Amazon's best-seller list to identify gaps in the market for book publishing.

What is the concern raised about AI-generated content and its impact on unique artistic expression?

The concern is that AI-generated content may devalue original artistic expression by making it easier to produce generic content, thus making it harder for unique perspectives to stand out and be recognized.

What is the potential future trend mentioned regarding the packaging of products?

The potential future trend mentioned is that the packaging of products may increasingly feature the people behind the product, taking up more real estate on the packaging, potentially even overshadowing the product itself.

What is the 'Once' brand mentioned in the transcript and what is its significance?

The 'Once' brand is associated with the 'Write Book' tool, signifying a move towards simplifying the book publishing process and making it as easy as blogging.

What is the role of AI in creating an AI-powered book empire as discussed in the transcript?

The role of AI in creating an AI-powered book empire includes using AI tools like Cloe or GPT-4 to brainstorm book concepts, generate detailed outlines, and produce chapter drafts based on trending topics.

What is the Hemingway app and how does it assist in content creation?

The Hemingway app is a tool used to ensure writing clarity and simplicity. It helps in maintaining a certain grade level for writing, making complex ideas easy to understand, and improving readability.

What is the concern about AI tools becoming too integral to the creative process?

The concern is that over-reliance on AI tools for the creative process might lead to a loss of originality and personal touch in the work, as well as the potential for creative skills to atrophy from lack of use.

What is the potential opportunity mentioned for using AI in content creation and how does it relate to the concept of 'arbitrage'?

The potential opportunity is to leverage AI and automation to create content more efficiently, allowing for the production of a larger volume of work. This is related to the concept of 'arbitrage' as it involves taking advantage of the current gap in the market to create content quickly and gain an edge over competitors.

What is the 'Bookstat' tool and how could it be beneficial for authors?

The 'Bookstat' tool is a subscription data service that provides real-time statistics on book sales, such as pre-orders per day and trends. This information can help authors adjust the positioning of their book, title, chapters, and marketing strategies based on current market data.

What is the 'Draft to Digital' service and how does it support self-publishing authors?

The 'Draft to Digital' service is a platform that provides support to self-publishing authors by offering tools and services for publishing, distribution, layout, and print-on-demand paperback. It charges a percentage of the retail price rather than a flat fee, making it a performance-based service.

What is the idea of building an all-in-one solution for creators as discussed in the transcript?

The idea is to create a single tool or platform that consolidates the various point solutions that creators currently use for different aspects of their work, such as content creation, publishing, networking, and audience management, to streamline their workflow and improve efficiency.

What is the significance of the 'Midday Square' product mentioned in the transcript?

The 'Midday Square' product is an example of a brand that has built a connection with its audience through the personal journey of its creators, which can influence purchasing decisions beyond just the product's features or quality.

What is the concept of 'creator economy' and how does it relate to the discussion in the transcript?

The 'creator economy' refers to the ecosystem where individuals create content and build audiences across various platforms. The discussion in the transcript relates to this concept by exploring tools and strategies that can help creators manage their content and audience more effectively.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 The Rise of Personal Branding in Product Value

The paragraph discusses the concept of standing out in a market saturated with similar products by building a strong personal brand. It suggests that consumers are not just buying a product, but also supporting the person behind it, valuing the creator's contribution to their lives. The speaker, Justin Welsh, shares his thoughts on this trend, which he sees as the beginning of a shift towards prioritizing people over products, as evidenced by changes in packaging design. He also mentions his conversation with Greg Eisenberg about startup ideas and the process of becoming a published author, highlighting the challenges and potential solutions in the publishing industry, such as AI-assisted book publishing platforms like Write.as and Once.com.

05:02

🤖 Leveraging AI to Streamline Book Publishing

This section delves into the idea of using artificial intelligence to create an 'AI-powered book empire.' The speaker outlines a step-by-step framework for leveraging AI tools like Cloe or GPT to generate book concepts and outlines based on trending topics. He also discusses the use of Amazon's best-seller list analysis with tools like Jungle Scout for identifying gaps in the market. The conversation touches on the potential for AI to devalue content by making it too accessible, but also acknowledges the opportunity for unique perspectives to stand out and gain significant recognition and financial success.

10:05

🎨 The Future of Creativity and AI-Generated Art

The paragraph explores the concerns around AI's impact on the authenticity and originality of creative work. It raises the question of how artists can maintain their uniqueness and gain traction in a world where AI can replicate styles and ideas rapidly. The discussion highlights the fear that originality might be overshadowed by AI-generated content, leading to a noisy and crowded creative space. However, it also points out the necessity of adapting to new tools and the potential for those who can master AI to stay ahead in the competition.

15:07

📚 AI-Assisted Writing and Content Quality

In this segment, the focus is on the practical use of AI in writing and editing processes. The speaker talks about using AI tools for generating book outlines and drafts, and then refining them with the help of AI-powered editing and proofreading tools like Grammarly and Hemingway App. The conversation also mentions the use of AI for content generation, such as Jasper AI, and the importance of maintaining clarity and conciseness in writing. The speaker emphasizes the need for AI-generated content to be checked for readability and originality.

20:08

🛠️ Utilizing AI Tools for Book Publishing and Marketing

The paragraph discusses various AI tools and services that can be used to enhance the book publishing process. It covers the use of AI for book formatting, cover design, and even audiobook production with platforms like Lulu.com and Findaway Voices. The speaker also talks about the importance of a book's cover and title in attracting readers, and how AI can be used to create compelling visuals and narratives. Additionally, the paragraph touches on the potential for AI to commoditize certain aspects of content creation, leading to a need for creators to stand out through unique prompting and personal branding.

25:09

🔄 The Need for Consolidation in AI-Powered Content Creation

This section highlights the fragmentation in the AI content creation space, with numerous point solutions that do not communicate with each other. The speaker expresses a desire for a consolidated tool that can streamline the process of creating, publishing, and distributing content across various platforms. The conversation suggests that there is a significant opportunity for a service that can integrate the various aspects of content creation and management into a single, user-friendly platform.

30:10

💼 The Business of Solving Creator's Workflow Challenges

The paragraph explores the idea of building a business around solving the workflow challenges faced by content creators. The speaker identifies the need for a tool that can manage the creation, organization, and distribution of content across multiple platforms efficiently. The discussion also touches on the importance of leveraging personal brand and audience relationships to drive the adoption of such a tool, suggesting that creators are more likely to use a product endorsed by someone they respect and follow.

35:10

🌟 Personal Branding as the Key to Standing Out

The final paragraph emphasizes the importance of personal branding in a world of commoditized products. It discusses how consumers are increasingly supporting creators they admire and value, rather than just purchasing a product. The speaker shares his perspective on the trend of featuring creators on product packaging and predicts a future where the creator's image and story占据 a significant portion of the packaging space, suggesting a shift in consumer behavior towards valuing the creator's journey and contribution.

40:11

🎶 Conclusion and Creative Inspiration

The concluding paragraph wraps up the discussion with reflections on the creative insights gained from the conversation. The speaker expresses a renewed sense of inspiration and a desire to explore the ideas shared, particularly around solving personal problems through entrepreneurship and leveraging AI in content creation. The paragraph ends with an invitation for the audience to connect with Justin Welsh through his online platforms and subscribe to his newsletter for further insights.

Keywords

💡Commoditized products

Commoditized products refer to goods or services that are similar across different providers, with little to no differentiation in terms of features, quality, or price. In the context of the video, the discussion revolves around how creators can stand out in a market saturated with indistinguishable products. The video suggests that personal branding and value creation beyond the product itself can help creators differentiate their offerings.

💡Creator's Journey

The term 'Creator's Journey' is used in the video to describe the process and experiences of individuals who create content, products, or services. It emphasizes the personal connection and value that creators provide to their audience, which goes beyond the physical product. The video suggests that supporting a creator is akin to 'tipping' them for the ongoing value they provide in one's life.

💡AI-powered book empire

An AI-powered book empire in the video refers to the concept of leveraging artificial intelligence to automate and streamline the process of writing, editing, and publishing books. The script discusses using AI tools to generate book concepts, outlines, and drafts, which could potentially allow creators to produce a large volume of content efficiently.

💡Trends in packaging

Trends in packaging are highlighted in the video as a metaphor for the growing importance of personal branding. The script mentions a shift towards featuring creators or people on product packaging, suggesting a future where the human element takes up more 'real estate' than the product itself. This trend reflects a broader move towards valuing the creator's personal connection with consumers.

💡Content creation

Content creation is a central theme in the video, focusing on the process of generating ideas, writing, and publishing, especially in the context of book writing. The discussion touches on the challenges and opportunities in creating content at scale, using AI to assist in the process, and the impact of AI on the quality and uniqueness of content.

💡AI tools for writing

AI tools for writing are mentioned multiple times throughout the script, with specific tools like Cloe and Jasper AI being highlighted. These tools are used for generating book outlines, drafts, and editing content. The video explores how AI can be utilized to streamline the writing process, from concept to publication.

💡Disruption in publishing

Disruption in publishing refers to the changes and innovations that are transforming the traditional book publishing industry. The video discusses how new platforms and tools are making it easier for authors to self-publish, bypassing traditional publishing houses, and potentially changing the dynamics of the industry.

💡Personal branding

Personal branding is a key concept in the video, emphasizing the importance of creators building a personal connection with their audience. It suggests that in a world of commoditized products, it's the personal brand that can make a creator's products more appealing and valuable to consumers.

💡Art and AI

The intersection of art and AI is discussed in the video, particularly in the context of AI-generated content and its impact on the creative process. The script raises concerns about the potential devaluation of art and the uniqueness of human creativity in a world where AI can replicate styles and produce content at scale.

💡Content saturation

Content saturation refers to the overabundance of content in the digital space, making it challenging for creators to stand out. The video discusses the potential for AI to exacerbate this issue by enabling the mass production of content, which could lead to a noisy and less valuable content landscape.

💡Prompting AI

Prompting AI in the video script refers to the act of inputting specific instructions or 'prompts' into AI systems to guide the output. It's highlighted as a skill that creators might need to develop in the future, as AI becomes more integrated into content creation processes.

Highlights

Discussion on standing out in a commoditized world by becoming a person customers want to support.

The idea that packaging and branding will evolve to feature people more prominently.

Interview with Justin Welsh on the 'Startup Ideas' podcast.

Challenges faced by creators in the traditional publishing process and the need for simplification.

Mention of 'Write Book' as a tool to simplify the publishing process.

Concept of using AI to streamline the process of becoming a published author.

Discussion on the potential of AI to devalue content creation and the importance of unique perspectives.

Concerns about the future of originality and the risk of content being commoditized.

The importance of using AI tools as a risk mitigation strategy in the competitive content creation space.

Justin Welsh's step-by-step framework for creating an AI-powered book empire.

Use of tools like Cloe and Jungle Scout for brainstorming and market analysis in book creation.

The role of AI in generating book outlines and drafts.

Utilizing AI for editing and proofreading through tools like Grammarly and Jasper AI.

The significance of book cover design and the potential for AI in this area.

Discussion on the future of AI narration for audiobooks and services like Findaway Voices.

The potential for consolidation in the AI publishing tool industry.

The concept of 'Creator Tools' and the demand for solutions that simplify content creation and distribution.

Justin's vision for an all-in-one tool that streamlines a creator's workflow from idea to publication.

The importance of building a personal brand and the impact on product sales in a commoditized market.

Transcripts

in a world in a world of commoditized

products how do you how do you stand out

and become not a product people want to

spend money on but a person that people

want to spend money on yes exactly and

you buy the product because this person

has given me so much value in my

day-to-day life therefore you're like

tipping the Creator's Journey this is

the beginning like this packaging where

the people are in the packaging is the

beginning of a bigger Trend which is

they're going to take more and more real

estate like the chocolate you see over

here like is still 99% of the packaging

and the people is only 2% in the future

I'm sure it'll be like 50% the people

50% the chocolate yeah might even be the

opposite of what it is now where it

might be 90% the people and 10% of

chocolate which could be

[Music]

interesting all right Justin Welsh Mr

solo perur you don't do a lot of

podcasts and somehow I convince you to

take some time from your vacation to

come on and jam startup ideas with me

and startup ideas for soloer so thanks

for coming on yeah of course man Greg

it's really good to see you and uh you

know I know you swung through my living

area many months ago and we got a chance

to bite tee together and so uh here I am

ready to uh talk s Bas so you have a few

list a few ideas on your list here maybe

let's start with the first one because

it's something I've been thinking about

too you want to you want to hit it yeah

so um I've been thinking about

especially having grown my following and

been approached by some publishing

houses uh in the last year or so just

like the approach to becoming a

published author and I've talked to a

bunch of my friends who are creators or

entrepreneurs and have followings and

and they have kind of some of them have

started the book process others have

finished it some are trying to decide

whether or not to get into that that

process and it feels like um it's really

cumbersome and there's a lot of

unanswered questions it feels like the

negotiation um the advance picking the

agent picking the editor and maybe it's

because I'm removed from it and I have

not been through the process um but it

it feels conversome and it feels um a

bit scary intimidating and like you

might get into something without having

all of your questions answered and so

I'm thinking and I made a note here

around AI but I'm thinking through that

process in general and how do we make

that process easier and since I kind of

jotted down some of these ideas I

actually think people are starting to

approach that that problem already I saw

the guys from base camp have come out

with something called once.com I haven't

done a deep dive onto it yet but it

seems to be a way in which to get your

book out pretty quickly I believe that

James clear and Tim Ferris are working

on something um as well that seems at

least tangentially related to to to that

so my big question around that is just

like how do we streamline the process of

becoming a published author for folks

that don't want to go through the really

difficult process of doing so so I think

you're talking about write book which is

the Jason freed product right yeah yeah

yeah maybe it's right book that's right

once.com was the product before that I'm

confusing the to you're right yeah write

book exactly yeah so write book I just

pulled it up instantly publish your own

books on the web for free no publisher

required so this is basically it looks

like it's how do you make book

publishing as easy as

blogging yeah exactly yeah it's under

the once brand here yeah I I like I I

use hey.com which is a product from the

base camp guys and I love all the

Simplicity that they built into their

products and like if anyone is going to

attack that that model this this doesn't

seem to be tied into becoming a you know

New York Times best-selling author or

getting published under a Big Brand this

seems to be a way to sort of instantly

publish your own book but I actually

think that is just as good an idea as

disrupting the traditional you know

publishing model like this seems to be

faster better easier have less uh

friction for those who want to get

started and like do we see a major

disruption do people in 10 years not

publish with huge publishing houses

anymore is everything done through

something like a WR book and I don't

know there's a part of me that says that

that's possible or likely yeah

so something I've been thinking a lot

about is how do you how do you create an

AI powerered book

Empire and so it's less about Justin

wellsh show Greg Eisenberg wants to

create a book and like yeah maybe we

work with penguin or we do a on.com but

more about how do we how do we create a

hundred books in in a year what would

that look like and I've got actually a

stepbystep framework for how I would go

about and and do it you want to hear it

I do yeah I'm very interested and then

and then I'll argue whether I think it's

a good idea or not but go totally I love

it this is perfect and this is this is

why I brought you on is because like we

can chat ideas and you're you're you're

a guy who call me on my stuff so

um I appreciate that about you okay so

if I wanted okay how to build an AI

powered book Empire in 20124 so the

first thing I would do is I'd use Cloe

or gp4 I'm actually I'm using uh Cloe

just like 99 times more than yeah it's

just way better so let's just say use

Cloe to brainstorm 100 plus book

Concepts based on trending topics then

what I'd do is I'd analyze Amazon's best

sellers list with the jungle scout app

um for Gap identification so are you

familiar with jungle Scout I'm not no

I'm looking up now yeah so uh a lot of

people who are not in e-commerce have

never heard of jungle scope but it's

basically I think it started off as a I

want to say a Chrome

extension um and it allowed uh people to

see competitor insights and keyword

analysis on different products so you

can go on to you know call it a

um I don't know teapot and you could see

that this teapot used to be priced at

$40 and now it's on $30 and they've sold

4,000 of them today so I would use this

with with books because I can basically

just see like okay what's selling what's

not selling what are the

trends um and I don't think many people

are doing that um then what I'd do is

I'd use chat GPT uh or clo to generate

detailed book outlines based on some of

these

trending uh areas are you with me I have

like a million more steps yeah yeah I I

am with you I'm just like quick ad break

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depend on ads to drive customers to my

businesses I wanted to rank high in

Google that's why I like SEO and that's

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that's why I invested in it they're so

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check it out highly recommend boring

marketing.com I I as soon as I hear you

kind of going down this like step byep

building a book with AI my mind pulls

back to this quote and I forget who it's

attributed to and it's it's popular so

I'm sure someone will will know who said

it but it's something to the effect of I

think it was on Twitter like I want I

don't want AI to write my books and do

my art and like all that wanted to do

the dishes and like pick up my room so

that I can write books and do art and so

like I just wonder from a long-term

perspective if everyone's writing a

hundred books and by the way I recognize

that not everyone's going to do it

people always ask me what if everyone

was the solo preneur so I get that's

it's a stupid question but like if a lot

of people are doing that does the art of

like writing a really strong and

powerful book with compelling study and

like user experience um does that die do

do you think about that when you outline

this stuff or does like does that just

sort of you separate yourself from that

as you're thinking through it I think

the reality is AI is going to devalue

the majority of content period so in a

world where it makes it easier to create

any sort of content book content video

content podcast content tweets posts

whatever it's going to be devalued and

it's going to be harder for artists

let's call them artist people come up

with unique perspectives point of views

to to stand above the noise that said

once they once they do stand above the

noise or they you know they are

recognized as unique I think that

there's massive amounts of staying power

and I think that the top 1% of artists

are going to make 100 times more in the

next 10 years than they will in the

previous because there's going to be

such demand for curated experiences but

that being said I think that there's a

trem there is a gap and an opportunity

right now to do some Arbitrage around

creating content with AI and automation

now that doesn't mean that just it needs

to be a book by Justin Welsh it could be

a book by Jane Wells you know and sure

and as long as you read the book and

you're like wow there's value here then

I still think that there's a

huge it's I personally am interested in

exploring this space yeah it's an

interesting like just just to be clear

like I think AI is fascinating and I'm

also like um not a person who's like oh

because I like the creative side of

things and because I like you know

unique in personal art uh that I somehow

don't believe that AI will will overtake

those things I do my my big concern

around it and not to like cut you off on

your on your book idea but like my big

concern around it is you say people are

going to become experts or have a very

unique point of view and there's going

to be staying power around that I think

a huge concern that I have is like how

right so someone gets a someone gets one

one inch into a into a journey that

they're really excited about where they

have a really unique and meaningful

perspective and like you're talking

about using jungle Scout to see trends

like there's going to be much more

complicated software at that point in

time someone's going to see that right

away and say this person is getting some

form of traction and like before they

can get traction and get a leg up and

get staying power let's just steal that

let's just take that and so I just

wonder like how does some go really deep

get a ton of traction in an area of

expertise and like stand out in a sea of

people creating hundreds and hundreds of

things based on what that person has

already just started I feel I I feel

worried about that I I think like I

struggle I struggle to Envision a world

like that does that make sense yeah it

totally makes sense and I'm happy you

bring it up because 70% of the people

listening to this are gonna are having

the same voice in their head so it's

good that you're bringing it up okay

let's let's think about the world before

the internet or at least early internet

like people were probably having a

similar conversation around sure that

you know okay I'm a print designer and

now anyone could create art on Photoshop

or Ms paint and it's so much simpler and

faster now doesn't that like destroy

art um doesn't it make it okay now now

there's going to be a thousand times

more artists because is you know you

don't have to go to the Parson School of

Design and you don't have to like buy

canvases you can just like fire up your

you know Microsoft 3.1 or whatever it's

called it was called and and or Ms Doss

or whatever and just like start playing

around yeah I think like being a Creator

being an artist is going to evolve and

there are going to be tools that are

going to make it ridiculously easy I.E

jungle Scout in 20 in the year 2030

but I still think that if I'm trying to

like learn let's just say I want to be

I'm really into coffee and you know I

was a barista for five years and I

wanted

to um create content and create a

business around coffee that's not a

coffee shop I could still use jungle

Scout and learn like what's selling

what's not selling and then come up with

my own point of views and create a

business around it and hopefully yeah

you know it is it is a a way more

competitive space today you know in in

this time than it would be in in the

previous but I my point is I think not

using the tools is a risk a very big

risk huge risk I I I totally agree um I

am not anti- AI I don't find it to be a

particular particularly fabulous writer

at this point in time it's certainly

getting better clo is the best I've seen

right like I think chat gbt writes

pretty ter I've tested it out on a bunch

of different things but like again we're

only a few years into this thing like

Fast Forward 10 years I think it's going

to be tremendously different I think

about someone like Jack butcher right

who's like like as Internet art and by

the way that's only because this is my

ecosystem so I might be blind to those

who came before him and we creating

something similar so I'm I'm speaking

within the realm of my my what I know on

the internet like when he came out and

started creating art like he got some

traction it became oh I can look at that

and know that it's something by Jack

like I can see his style I know that's a

visualized value piece and as we've kind

of gone over time like you know you've

had maybe five or 10 or 15 or 20 or 25

sort of knockoffs of that you know and

it's kind of getting faster and faster

and faster and I'm I fear for a world

and not to kind of again take this back

full circle to like what I worry about

but I do feel for for a world or fear

for one where a jack butcher gets

traction on one piece and the next day

there are 10,000 pieces just like that

and it's like how do you stand out in

that noise and it's a question worth

answering like the the answer is you

have to and I just I just wonder what a

world full of noise looks like the way

you stand out is you are Jack butcher

you will always be one step ahead of the

competition and no one could compete

against Jack butcher in that in that

sense only Jack butcher is Jack butcher

so today today to today but you know

okay if I want to compete with Jack

butcher in an AI world what do I do I

study all his previous work MH

and I I basically I become Jack

butcher's brain but Jack butcher's brain

is essentially Jack butcher up into

today and previously now Jack butcher

could decide to go from black and white

to red and

yellow um tomorrow and that and then

they it does it does become a game

content then becomes a game of right cat

and M

I think that's what that's the trend

that is is is beginning yeah I fear for

that Trend like I by the way it doesn't

mean it's not happening like cares what

I who cares what I think emotionally um

but I do like wonder what a world like

that feels like I mean it sucks it's I

hate that world too by the way just to

be clear like I hate it and it's not fun

because people like me and you who like

put stuff out there and we spend so much

time like crafting things and then the

next day

it gets copied or duplicated it it

totally it feels it feels

wrong um but the point I you know that's

the that's the negative side of this the

positive side of this is there there is

a ton of opportunity to to be building

things in a in totally totally what

what's the point of an original thought

if the next day it's duplicated to an

infinite degree exactly so like like but

I do I do agree there's tons of uh I was

just watching a video on someone using

perplexity and clo to do like SEO

optimized articles and like he was

prompting perplexity and Cloe and like

couldn't spell and I was like this is

what happens like people can't spell

like they don't even know how to like do

common reading and writing and I'm just

like is that a world like do we need to

know that anymore I guess not but maybe

I'm just like a classical person but

like I was just I was very flabbergasted

by that so I'm G to get back to the book

steps in a second sorry sorry sorry but

before I get back I have to say this

little story clo was down yesterday

and I noticed clo was down I'll be

honest I was trying to like use it for a

software project and I wanted some help

on it and uh I went on to Twitter and I

was like is CLO down and a bunch of

people were saying it's down and I saw a

Tweet someone said a very well-known

entrepreneur I won't tell you who it is

but a very well-known entrepreneur says

I literally thought I was going to have

a productive morning today and I can't

go to work because I don't have Claude

that's kind of kind of scary yeah that's

what we're moving towards but um it's

it's a muscle it's like riding a bicycle

like once you stop riding on your own or

thinking on your own and you let

something else do it for you it

atrophies totally now that being said

let me tell you how you can use clothes

to

make1 sorry for uh sorry for getting you

off your your your book idea continue so

so then you got your outlines so you've

used chat gbt or clo to make the

outlines used use the uh the outl you

know clo to make the chapter drafts one

of the things I would do is I would I

would write um you know you know prompt

something like pretend I'm the editor

and here's the 10 ways in which I write

and just give them detailed instructions

of how you write and you can train that

I could train that based on Justin Welsh

I could say like here's a 100 posts that

Justin Welsh has done write like Justin

Welsh and then bring out um you know

Justin generally is a very clear thinker

and he Ally never buries the lead uh

these are things that you can pull out

and that you can uh put in into

Cloe yeah their projects their projects

functionality is pretty amazing that is

yeah exactly yeah yeah I I I find that

the the projects functionality is light

years ahead of like chat gpts memory and

things like that yeah totally the

project functionality in itself is worth

the $20 a month oh 100% totally

yeah uh then you you can use uh not many

people know this but grammarly

uh they've got like an AI for well a lot

of people know it but I I've been using

it a lot recently for just real-time

editing and proof reading um you can

also use uh Jasper AI for Content

generation and and like if you because

you're going to be reading a bunch of

these a bunch of these articles that

Clo's going to be outputting and you

might be like wow this is actually not

that good so if you need new ideas you

can use something like jasper. a the

Hemingway app have you ever used that

yeah yeah I use it to make sure that my

writing is at a certain grade level for

my newsletter or my social content um I

know about what my audience likes to

consume at so I use it almost almost

daily can you talk can you talk about uh

how it works and and how you use it yeah

so so basically the one functionality I

use inside it is grade level and I want

to keep my grade level writing between

seventh and eth grade like I've run

multiple like a battery of tests against

both my newsletter and my LinkedIn

content not so much my my like X content

because I don't think it matters it's

much shorter the brevity is what matters

um but I will push that through uh uh

Hemingway and I will basically not just

the grade level I also look for like

sentences that could be more clear clear

Clarity and conciseness because that's

something that I think I've become known

for if I had to like guess uh on social

media is like taking complex ideas and

making them very simple and while I

think I'm generally pretty good at that

there are definitely times when I

overwrite when I make when I choose too

many words when I make things too

complex and so I love Heming way for

that and I often realize that when I

write I use words that to me seem simple

because they've become part of my

lexicon from working in startups for 20

years from being around people who are

certainly more academic than I am um and

so Hemingway helps me kind of bring that

down seventh to eighth grade reading

level I've written in third fourth fifth

sixth seventh 9th all the way up to 12th

and I will look at Impressions I will

look at reply rate on my newsletter I'll

look at engagement and that 7 to eight

for me is just like where where it hits

there you go that's that's really

helpful to know I actually I should do

that I'm and uh but yeah with a book

it's also equally uh important so you

want to put that content into Hemingway

and check uh check the readability and

and areas that you can improve there's a

tool called then the next thing I do

there's a tool called book stat I had

never heard of it uh but heard about it

just and you know through the research

of this um and the coolest thing it does

is like our our buddy sahill Bloom is um

launching a book and wouldn't it be cool

to see if you know if I was competing

against Sahel bloom in terms of his book

how many pre-orders a day is he getting

um and the trend around that so um it's

basically subscription data service and

I think you're going to see a lot of

these pop up just a lot of these

subscription data services in a bunch of

different Industries um but it just

gives you real-time stats um that'll

help you uh change the positioning of

your book title

chapters um and and help you around the

marketing of it that's really

interesting I often wondered if there

was a tool like this like um you know

just very candidly as I've watched like

sahill and Ali abdall launch their books

um I mean the consumer or or even their

friends um have very little visibility

into you know there's there's rah rah

around it and like you might assume that

it's selling a thousand copies or 5,000

copies a day but um the reality could be

very very different um and when

someone's not like a New York Times

bestseller my question is always like

how close were they or like what was the

gap between them you know making and

missing the mark and this is a service

that it looks like I could kind of

figure that out which is really

interesting really totally and it's you

you actually go on their website and it

looks like it's a website from $1 1999

totally I'm like what is this this is

crazy um the next thing I would do is uh

you have to templatized

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you you can use uh I think it's lulu.com

they have a AI powered formatting tool

so it's it's ready for print print um

but you'll also need a cover design so

you know could you use AI uh to create

the cover design design yeah you can use

Dy 3 or mid Journey I'm starting to feel

that a lot of those tools are just like

you can tell it's AI generated I don't

know totally yeah oh totally yeah it's

it's just like I don't know it's it

feels like commoditized to me at this

point um it's supposed to be new and

unique and interesting but like every

visual that I see and by the way I'm not

an AI artist and most people who use it

are not AI artists with the prompts so

they're just getting generic output and

so everyone's generic output looks

exactly the same

um yes you know I'm sure I'm sure if

you're a professional you know digital

artist who understands AI prompting you

can probably make something wonderful

but for 99.9% of us that's that's not us

exactly so you can use um you can use an

agency we have an agency that we built

design scientist.com little little plug

there um and uh you know or just find

someone go to like upwork or or or

Fiverr or or whatever whatever your

budget fits and and uh get a human to

design it nothing wrong with that the

the book cover matters like the book

cover really really matters it's like

one of those things where in YouTube

land they say doesn't even matter what

your content is all that matters is your

title and

thumbnail uh it's very similar in books

where the title matters a ton and the

and the cover matters a ton yeah a

friend of mine is a 12 time New York

Times bestselling fiction author writing

crime and he's he's in his 80s and he

will tell me all the time like he'll

have a really creative idea for a book

title and he'll run it by me and my wife

we're like we like that and then he'll

bring it back and be like the publisher

is actually going with something much

more simple I'm like oh I don't like

that at all he's like yeah but it

describes what's inside of the book and

I was like right right that makes sense

that makes sense it's the same with

YouTube right it's like yeah totally

it's the same so then I would uh there's

also another uh company I I found

they're called blurb.com

um they also allow you to do layouts so

the layout of your book which's cool

about blurb.com

is they have these templates so you can

like go and make a children's book and

then they have these like children book

templates or photography like let's say

you want to create a cooking book you

can you can do like a photography one um

so I think that's really cool um and

again in our world no one talks about

this stuff yeah you've strung together

like the most AI Tools in history to do

a really cool process like I'm I'm

actually um really impressed you know I

go about as far as perplexity chat GPT

and Cloud um these are all really

interesting I feel like my this audience

loves like tools so yeah and I feel like

you appreciate the stuff too it's just

like we're all looking for unfair

advantages yeah in some way or another

so another thing thing that is really

useful I think is Spotify I think they

might have bought this company but they'

they they I don't know if they bought it

or they incubated it's called find

findaway voices.com

and uh I'm pretty sure they actually

allow you to do an AI n narrator

selection for audiobook production wow

that's really cool so you don't a huge

process that's a huge process yeah it's

a huge process and especially if you're

if you're Jane Wells and you sound like

Justin Welsh you don't want you know you

don't want to be going into record you

know renting recording studio and and

recording for for three days straight

sounding sound like you

sound yeah it's it's really interesting

as you're as you're going through this

like um I mentioned something during the

book design part where I said you know

99.9% of us aren't AI artists nor do we

understand how to prompt AI to create

beautiful art and I may have just

answered my previous concern or question

where it's like how do you become the

next Jack butcher well it's no longer

about the stroke of the brush or the the

how you move the mouse it's more about

prompting like how do you become a

world-class prompter which in which in

turn the outcome is world class art so I

guess I have to like Focus my brain on

thinking about how how the world changes

that way and what being great at

something looks like and I think it's

going to be a lot around prompting it is

and you know just this morning I was

talking to uh a finance someone on my

finance team and and she was like what

is this charge here this charge here

this charge here and I'm like oh man

have I gotten carried away with AI tools

and just like premium tools like are we

going to

spend on one hand I was like scared but

then but on the other hand I'm like

listen Maybe I'm spending $5,000 a month

on these tools

but uh you know you you wouldn't bad an

eyelash have paying someone five you

know a salary $5,000 a person $5,000 a

month right like $60,000 a year so I

think that's what's going to happen is

these software tools from a percent of

your costs are just going to increase

versus human beings yeah I was talking

to an entrepreneur the other day who

were main named was seven figure

entrepreneur in the like digital sort of

knowledge space and like um has a team

who basically takes his uh content and

chops it up and creates it you know for

for different social platforms and he's

like I'm kind of frustrated because

their prices are going up and I was like

how are their prices going up like

explain that to me like with all the AI

tools available right now like the

service they provide their prices should

be going down or you should be like you

should be spending one day next week

like designing all of your prompts and

if you really want somebody else to

write your content for you like the

following week you should be able to

press a button and do it yourself like

uh I can't imagine like service

companies for copyrighting right now

like having the gall to raise their

prices Maybe I'm Wrong on that but like

I don't know I see that going away fast

yeah yeah I I I agree I got a couple

more tools for you and then and then our

book will be launched our Empire will be

launched nice um draft to digital number

two draft to digital so their tagline we

are self-publishing with support

self-publishing on your own is kind of

daunting I've actually explored this

it's daunting even think about how many

steps we just we just went

through um so draft to

digital um

is services and tools to help you with

the publishing the distribution the

layout and the print on demand paperback

so they just give you a little bit

support

very cool yeah I think this is going to

be a huge industry just like getting

helping people produce longer form

content whether it's AI created or not

irrelevant like and getting it to the

masses in forms that they're used to I

think is going to be just right for like

tons of players as you're already

showing me right here right I've got

tabs open right yeah and and and you can

you know what I love about some of these

business models like draft to digital is

they don't they don't charge you they

just charge 10% of the retail price so

they they can tack on a little fee so

you would have charged $20 for a book

now you charge $22 $2 goes to

them um so anywhere anywhere where you

can do a pay per performance or paper

usage or paper task model I think is is

going to be interesting to

people like here's a question I have

that maybe you haven't thought about or

maybe you have and you you'll answer it

here in a moment but I've got one two

three four five six seven eight nine

different tabs open at the moment as you

kind of go through this creation like

who becomes the who takes all these

Point Solutions and becomes the allinone

for this yeah I think that's that's like

an interesting question is why do I have

to use nine services for for producing

one outcome like why can't I use one

service for that let me just pull hold

on one sec I want to pull up a name of

this new app okay so I I first of all I

completely agree that it it's

overwhelming and what's going to happen

is each vertical is going to

consolidate and you're actually starting

to see this in Mobile too did you see

this app that just came out the other

day called hero assistant it's pretty

interesting um if you think about our

mobile like our our our iPhones let's

say we have to open up our calendar we

have to open up our weather we have to

open up our mail we have to open up

instacart reminders they're all separate

apps and it's getting overwhelming it's

the same issue that it's one of the same

issues that you're describing in AI it's

like there's too many different Services

I mean AI has two problems one is how do

you find out about these Services

besides listening to the startup ideas

podcast and then

two and two is uh H how do you how do

you make it a cohesive simple

experience

and in in Mobile you just have the issue

of like you have the App Store so it's

easier to find the apps but um what hero

is and is really interesting and is

getting a lot of people talking is it

just brings all those apps calendar

weather perplexity instacart reminders

into one

interface really cool I'm like I'm

looking at right now yeah I think that's

what's going to happen in AI but not yet

because we're still in the soul

searching trying to figure out use cases

phase yeah this is I think this is this

happens in every single every single

problem that I have today in my business

is solved by several different point

solutions that don't communicate with

one another this like the last startup

that I helped build was a medical

startup that essentially did exactly

that took every Point solution a

physician used and put it together in

one allinone solution sold it at a

better price right that's why 200

million in Revenue today um I see that

exact same thing coming to everything

that a Creator does everything that a

writer does everything an entrepreneur

does will be like at first first spread

out amongst nine to 10 different apps

and then put into one and I think that's

like how do you become either one of

those 10 or the

one yeah that is like a really big idea

that you're sharing which is how do you

be the node in all these different

Industries and someone

listening you know it doesn't need you

don't need to pick a a node in like

publishing which might be overwhelming

but you can pick a node that's like in a

sub niche

um and still be that and it's and and

those businesses have huge sticking

power and are are great to create can I

give you an example of something that

I've been thinking about recently um

so as a Creator across multiple

platforms like let's think about my

workflow on a regular basis so

everything that I do starts with a tweet

right like I might try and think of

something interesting or useful to say

on on X right um I throw those out there

because a short feedback window so you

know you you get feedback in 10 minutes

you know whether this thing's going to

go well or go poorly once you once you

push it out there um since I'm pushing

stuff out there on a consistent basis I

have a lot of pieces of content that I

can choose to use in different ways

oftentimes what I'll do is screenshot

that add some context it's a LinkedIn

post right do that a couple times a day

figure out which one works the best I

can take that same screenshot same

context move it over to Instagram copy

the Tweet bring it over to threads like

there's just a million ways to sort of

organize this stuff

that in and of itself is one problem

that needs to be solved because like

going back and forth between different

notion tabs different publishing tools

becomes very conversant and confusing

then add to the fact that inside of

every Discovery platform I want to bring

my audience to my website have them do a

deeper dive on learning about me and

what it is what problem it is that I

solve um so every piece of content has

to have a relevant piece of deeper long

form content that is related to it so I

can drive someone naturally in the next

call to my website so hey you want to

learn more about this or want to go

deeper on this go check out this article

go go check out this newsletter I have a

repository of newsletters and articles

it's not easy for me to find which one

is most relevant and therefore make it

the call to action so like that's

another problem that should be solved

with one click of a button I use cloud

projects for that but today Cloud

projects doesn't talk to tweet hunter or

tap Leo or any of the publishing tools

that I use then I want to meet smart

interesting people who I can start to

network with on social media I do that

on platform I do that on LinkedIn I do

that on X I do that on Instagram that

doesn't exist in the publishing tools it

doesn't exist in CLA so like there are

these disparate problems um that I have

to solve through all these different

tools and I'm thinking to myself like

why not one tool why can't I do this

inside of one app and why don't I build

that why wouldn't you build it I would

yeah I mean it's it's something that I'm

very interested in building um I figure

you know if I solve my own problems I'll

probably solve a thousand other people's

problems totally but you're you're not

actively building it today right it's

just an idea

potentially I love it I love it say less

my friend this is a big idea I I you

know I also have the same issue which is

um even though I use less tools than

that um in content I still feel like I'm

going from place to place and I'm

getting basically like content wh

Whiplash that's how I feel same why

can't I focus on writing one good idea

like even if I don't want to use AI for

that and I just want to write myself

like because I like to write but once I

write one good idea why can't I hit one

button and just be like go all the

places you're supposed to go and do all

the things you're supposed to do that's

I I just want to be the creative like I

don't want to figure out how to stitch

together all this different stuff just

like let's build that that automation

now right for fun and hit the button and

everything works that's that's the world

that I Envision AI being fun in in less

uh taking over creativity I guess yeah

and there's there's you know this could

be really big like we often forget but

who's a billion doll company even on the

Indie hacker side like I just had TBO

from tweet Hunter on he sold it for $10

million so um there's a lot of demand

for Creator tools

and um if if you can build this

efficiently uh I yeah I think people

would pay for it and and very candidly

this is my opinion by the way like I

can't I don't have data to back this up

but I think I can in a in a weird way

which is like I use Tapo and tweet

Hunter and I like TBO and I think his

team builds really good products um but

in a way in a way many of the products

that are on the market today and it's

not just in the Creator space or

publishing space um are not too

dissimilar from one another uh they are

becoming more and more commoditized and

I think what is most important is if

somebody uses it and so what I'm seeing

is like the companies that are standing

out in the publishing space like a tweet

hunter or a Tapo have the big creators

behind it the big creators use it the

big creators talk about it they sponsor

the big creators newsletters they're in

front of the big creators audiences and

like you might look at that in another

tool and they might at first glance look

relatively similar but if you know that

I use it or sahill uses it or you use it

you're just more inclined to use it as

well and so I think for someone like

myself how do I leverage how do I use

that Advantage uh you know as I'm

thinking about both solving my own

problem and building something that

isn't commoditized and then combining it

with um you know a brand and and a

person who who's known for creating

content those are things that are kind

of circulating in my mind at the moment

so what you're kind of saying is it's

similar to like the Mr Beast chocolate

Feasta BS it's like why are you buying a

Feasta BS over hery joab bar it's like

oh no I Mr Beast is my guy I love him I

want I want to show you something real

quick I just off camera right before I

came on I had this thing called a midday

Square have you seen this product I've

not so it's it's cool packaging

functional yeah so if you're not

watching on this YouTube um YouTube by

the way if you're not watching on

YouTube just go to YouTube and subscribe

and comment and like do those things but

here it is the midday Square cookie

dough flavor and you when you when you

pull it into the other side what do you

see oh three

faces who are these three people they've

been actually building this

company this is Jake uh this is Jake

Nick and Leslie they're the three

co-founders they've got like plus

thousand followers and they've been

building this business in public the

highs the lows uh Creator Le company and

you buy the product because I mean the

product's great but it it's also because

you want to it's almost like a tip

you're like tipping the Creator's

Journey you're like this person has

given me so much value in my day-to-day

life therefore three bucks for the choco

bar dude totally I I actually think like

I buy from a lot of creators just as a

tip yes like there there are Creator

friends of mine who creat something that

I absolutely have zero interest in I'm

consuming and like when it comes out

I'll buy it because like you know if I

read a hundred of your tweets and a

thousand of your posts and I read your

newsletter every week like the least

that I can do it's for small businesses

least I can do is give you a tip so when

your product comes out I will buy it

100% And I think a lot of people operate

that way some people don't but a lot of

people do I think most people operate

that way that's fair even subconsciously

subconsciously some people opposite yeah

some people are completely the opposite

yeah yeah but I I I appreciate you

sharing that because I think that's I

think that's big in the future is like

in a world in a world of commoditized

products how do you how do you stand out

and become not a product people want to

spend money on but a person that people

want to spend money on yes exactly and I

think you're this is the beginning like

this packaging where the people are in

the packaging is the beginning of a

bigger trend which is they're going to

take more and more real estate like the

chocolate you see over here like is

still 99% of the packaging and the

people is only 2% in the future I'm sure

it'll be like 50% the people 50% the

chocolate yeah might even be the

opposite of what it is now where it

might be 90% of people and 10% of

chocolate which could be yeah you'll be

like why am I eating oops I hope I'm not

eating like a leg right

now cool I like that that's cool I'm

have to look for that product or at

least follow their story I not familiar

with that cool um Justin this has been

great uh didn't think we'd go here but

we this has been fun and got my my

creative juices are flowing how you

feeling feeling good man I didn't expect

to go there either um uh you had way

more um tactical information on on the

book stuff so I I think your audience

can someone will run with that um I

think what I hope that people take away

from this is like a lot of the stuff

that we talked about in just solving

your own problems I think a big part of

startup ideas at least in the future is

going to be being cognizant enough to

pause when you actually have a problem

like I I go through problems all the

time day after day after day the same

problem and it actually takes me like

weeks and sometimes months to pause and

be like why haven't I solved this like

what's a much because we're so busy and

we're so heads down that that becomes a

problem and I think um a lot of folks if

they can make themselves stop and think

through those things we we'll start to

see ideas flowing in much faster than

they normally do amen if people uh

people want to support Justin Welsh and

find you on the internet where where

could they go they can go to Justin

welch. me that's Justin

wl. me uh they can follow me on X or

LinkedIn and uh that's about it they can

subscribe to my newsletter this Saturday

solo preneur send out one newsletter

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and will cool great great chatting with

you man good seeing you my man later see

you

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